CINCINNATI, Ohio — It’s still months away, but the solar eclipse already has travelers preparing to get a front-row seat.  

What You Need To Know

  • The Cincinnati Observatory is getting ready for a crowd on April 8, the day of the next total eclipse

  • While the observatory sits about an hour away from the view of totality, you can still see a partial eclipse from there

  • The observatory's executive director said the last total eclipse in 2017 brought in upwards of 1,600 people 

Schools have announced closings, hotels are getting filled and crowds are expected just to get a glimpse of totality.

Anna Hehman doesn’t have to wonder about what’s happening in space. She has access to a giant telescope that brings it to her. She’s the executive director at the Cincinnati Observatory.

There are historic telescopes here where you can see throughout the universe.

“Saturn is probably the most popular view,” Hehman said. “We’ve been accused of taping a picture of Saturn on the end of the scope, which we have never done, and never would do.”

There was nothing taped to the end of their telescopes, but she said they will attach something to the other end of it.

“We put a special eyepiece on and then a filter on the eyepiece,” Hehman said.

That’s because come April 8, 2024, the most popular view will be the sun.

“For us, this is like the Super Bowl, and the World Series, and the Olympics, the Oscars, all the big events you can think of,” Hehman said.

It’s the day when scientists predict the moon will block the sun in a total solar eclipse. They’ve been getting ready for everything and everyone expected to come along with it.

“We have to think about the 2017 eclipse,” Hehman said. “The totality was about three and a half hours away for that, and we took so many phone calls and, you know, requests, and we ended up with about 1,600 people here that day.”

She said they’re expecting even more stargazers to come for the 2024 eclipse. They’ll have volunteers to help that day too, but she said a lot of her staff will be gone.

“We’re anticipating having people here that day on the grounds, but really most of us will travel once we’re on staff and our volunteers will be traveling for the eclipse,” she said.

That’s because the Cincinnati Observatory is about an hour outside of totality or where you will see complete darkness from the eclipse.

The path of totality goes across the heart of Ohio and includes places like Dayton and Oxford.

“We have volunteers that have planned trips, you know, well in advance, because if you look at hotels in any city that is in totality, it is going to be a pretty penny to stay,” Hehman said. 

In fact, Bookings.com shows hotels filling up in those areas, and rooms going for as much as $1,600 for the April 8 eclipse weekend.

Schools in areas like Butler County also already announced closing in anticipation of big crowds trying to get a frontrow seat to a rare cosmic event in space.

“It’s a big deal because it won’t happen again for a very long time, and we’re just excited to embrace it when it comes,” Hehman said.

If you are planning a trip or staying home to watch the eclipse, experts say to make sure you’re doing it safely with certified eclipse glasses to protect your eyes.